Six Truths About Slavery

In August 1619, a ship docked in Virginia and changed the course of history. On board were 20 to 30 people who’d been ripped from their homes in southwestern Africa and forced to make the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Once they arrived, they were sold to white colonists and likely put to work in tobacco fields. 

Many historians point to that moment 400 years ago as one of the most significant in history. It was the beginning of African slavery in the English colonies that would later become the United States.

In the centuries that followed, 12.5 million African men, women, and children were kidnapped, locked in heavy iron chains, and packed onto ships headed to the New World. About 2 million of them died during the journey. Those who survived the voyage—and their descendants—were forced to work day and night in fields and in homes owned by white people who routinely beat, tortured, and murdered them.

This brutal system of forced labor helped fuel the growth of the U.S. into one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Even today, the racist beliefs and policies that slavery was built upon continue to affect nearly every aspect of our society, from where we live to which schools young people attend. 

Yet many people don’t know the real story of slavery. Over time, Americans have downplayed, misrepresented, or ignored key facts about this part of history. Even textbooks sometimes get things very wrong. 

Here are six things you should know.

In August 1619, a ship docked in Virginia. It changed the course of history. On board were 20 to 30 people. They had been ripped from their homes in southwestern Africa and forced to make the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Once they arrived, they were sold to white colonists and likely put to work in tobacco fields.

Many historians point to that moment 400 years ago as one of the most significant in history. It was the beginning of African slavery in the English colonies that would later become the United States.

In the centuries that followed, 12.5 million African men, women, and children were kidnapped and locked in heavy iron chains. Then they were packed onto ships headed to the New World. About 2 million of them died during the journey. Those who survived the voyage were forced to work day and night. So were their descendants. They worked in fields and in homes owned by white people who routinely beat, tortured, and murdered them.

This brutal system of forced labor helped fuel the growth of the U.S. into one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Even today, the racist beliefs and policies that slavery was built upon continue to affect nearly every aspect of our society. That includes where we live and which schools young people attend.

Yet many people do not know the real story of slavery. Over time, Americans have downplayed, misrepresented, or ignored key facts about this part of history. Even textbooks sometimes get things very wrong.

Here are six things you should know.

Slavery was a racist and cruel institution that denied black people human rights and freedom. To keep enslaved people from rebelling and to break their spirits, their enslavers tortured them physically and emotionally.  

Many enslaved people were savagely whipped, beaten, and shackled—sometimes daily. They lived in fear that their children and parents could be taken from them at any moment and sold or given away as gifts. They were forced to do backbreaking labor for no pay and were denied the right to move freely, assemble in groups, and learn to read and write. 

In the face of such brutal treatment—and often hoping to reunite with their families—many enslaved people tried to run away. Attempting to escape was extremely risky. Enslavers often ran ads in newspapers offering rewards for the return of fugitives. Countless enslaved people who tried to flee were caught, beaten, and returned to bondage. 

Yet about 100,000 enslaved people made it to freedom. Many fled to Canada or joined black communities in swamps and other isolated areas. On rare occasions, some enslaved people were able to buy their freedom.

Slavery was a racist and cruel institution. It denied black people human rights and freedom. To keep enslaved people from rebelling and to break their spirits, their enslavers tortured them physically and emotionally.

Many enslaved people were savagely whipped, beaten, and shackled. Sometimes this happened daily. They lived in fear that their children and parents could be taken from them at any moment and sold or given away as gifts. They were forced to do backbreaking labor for no pay. And they were denied the right to move freely, gather in groups, and learn to read and write.

Because of this brutal treatment, many enslaved people tried to run away. Often they hoped to reunite with their families. Trying to escape was extremely risky. Enslavers often ran ads in newspapers to offer rewards for the return of fugitives. Countless enslaved people who tried to flee were caught. They were beaten and returned to bondage.

Yet about 100,000 enslaved people made it to freedom. Many fled to Canada or joined black communities in swamps and other isolated areas. Some enslaved people were able to buy their freedom, but that was rare.

Americans often think of slavery as a “Southern thing” that benefited only plantation owners. But it existed in the North as well. And it greatly contributed to the growth and prosperity of the entire nation. 

In the North, enslaved people were forced to lay railroad tracks; work as blacksmiths and shoemakers; and build homes, bridges, and factories. In 1703, 42 percent of New York households enslaved black people. By 1804, all Northern states had passed laws to abolish slavery—though some of those measures didn’t take effect until decades later. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy was increasingly dependent on slave labor, which in turn fueled slavery’s growth in the South. 

The system of slavery created whole industries and wealth for many white people nationwide. For example, banks in New York gave loans to plantation owners in Southern states. Cotton grown and picked by enslaved people was sent to textile factories in New England. And Northern shipping companies grew rich by transporting that cotton from one state to another and abroad.

Americans often think of slavery as a “Southern thing” that benefited only plantation owners. But it existed in the North as well. And it greatly contributed to the growth and prosperity of the entire nation.

In the North, enslaved people were forced to lay railroad tracks, and to work as blacksmiths and shoemakers. They were forced to build homes, bridges, and factories. In 1703, 42 percent of New York households enslaved black people. By 1804, all Northern states had passed laws to abolish slavery. However, some of those measures did not take effect until decades later.

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy increasingly depended on slave labor. In turn, this fueled slavery’s growth in the South.

The system of slavery created whole industries and wealth for many white people nationwide. For example, banks in New York gave loans to plantation owners in Southern states. Cotton grown and picked by enslaved people was sent to textile factories in New England. And Northern shipping companies grew rich by transporting that cotton from one state to another and abroad.

Many students today are taught that the Civil War (1861-65) wasn’t fought primarily over slavery but over the issue of states’ rights. (States’ rights means the right of states to follow their own rules, apart from those set by the federal government.) Yet the right that Southern states most wanted to protect was the ability of their citizens to own black people as slaves.

Just one month after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede, or withdraw, from the nation. Lincoln was opposed to the growth of slavery. South Carolina lawmakers, many of whom had become rich by relying on slave labor, feared he might outlaw it. Other Southern states soon followed South Carolina’s lead, citing slavery as their main reason for leaving the Union. 

However, over time, many white people in the South began to say that the war had not been about slavery but about states’ rights. That false claim is still commonly made today to minimize the role slavery played in the war.

Many students today are taught that the Civil War (1861-65) was not fought primarily over slavery but over the issue of states’ rights. (States’ rights means the right of states to follow their own rules, apart from those set by the federal government.) Yet the right that Southern states most wanted to protect was the ability of their citizens to own black people as slaves.

South Carolina became the first state to secede, or withdraw, from the nation. It happened just one month after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. Lincoln was against the growth of slavery. South Carolina lawmakers feared he might outlaw it. Many of them had become rich by relying on slave labor. Other Southern states soon followed South Carolina’s lead. They cited slavery as their main reason for leaving the Union.

However, over time, many white people in the South began to say that the war had not been about slavery. They said it was about states’ rights. That false claim is still commonly made today to minimize the role slavery played in the war.